The USG Open Source Center translates or paraphrases opinion pieces in the press of the right wing Israeli settler movement in the Occupied Palestinian West Bank.
Highlights: Review of Israeli Right-Wing, Settler Commentaries 26 Jun-3 Jul 09
Israel — OSC Summary
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Arabs Have No ‘Rights Whatsoever to Any Part of the Land of Israel’
Ronny Gordon’s cartoon, posted on Arutz Sheva Online on 29 June, mocks the planned settlement freeze.
An untitled 26 June Women in Green commentary, referring to correspondent Nadav Shragay’s commentary in left-of-center Haaretz in English, says: “Below is an article by Nadav Shragai with an important message. We are forwarding it to our Women in Green list even though we do not agree with one sentence in his article in which Shragai says ‘our friends need to hear from us that the historic, religious, legal and sentimental links that bind the people of Israel with Hebron and Beit El are no less legitimate than those of the Palestinians.’
“We want to correct Nadav Shragai on this point. The Arabs whom some call ‘the Palestinians’ have no historic, religious or any rights whatsoever to any part of the land of Israel. The one and only People who have a legal, historic, religious and moral right to the Land of Israel is the Jewish People.’ (Jerusalem Women in Green in English — Website of right-wing organization dedicated to preservation of Greater Israel and of Jewish heritage; URL: http://www.womeningreen.org)
Obama ‘Trashing’ US Heritage, Netanyahu Must Be Prevented From Trashing Jewish Heritage by Enabling Palestinian State
Cont’d (click below or on “comments”)
Prof. Paul Eidelberg’s 29 July commentary, entitled “Where is the Outrage?” says: “Many Iranians were outraged by the June 12 presidential election. They know that Iran’s democratic elections are a charade. They know that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is the real power in Iran. The election was merely a facade to dignify the re-appointment Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as president. Iran’s leaderless (hence doomed) revolution was not merely against an ostensibly rigged election, but against the SYSTEM, the mullocracy. This is why John Bolton, former US ambassador to the United Nations is calling for ‘regime change.’
“Even if the elections were not rigged, it needs to be stressed that democratic elections do not guarantee government of the people, for the people, and by the people. Witness Israel.”
“No doubt the flawed and uninspiring character of Israeli politicians must ultimately be attributed to serious shortcomings in their education. Moral relativism is prevalent in Israeli universities and has even influenced the Command and Staff College. Relativism erodes conviction in the justice of a nation’s cause. I saw it Sharon, in Barak, and in other politicians. No wonder they endorsed a Palestinian state. Relativism can transform heroes into ‘men without chests.’
“Barack Obama, never a hero, was weaned on the moral relativism prevalent in American universities. No wonder he’s the darling of the anti-American internationalists. No wonder America’s two-dimensional president did nothing to aid the Iranians who rebelled against the mullocracy. No wonder anti-war movements flourish on American campuses where relativism is rampant.
“The Obama administration is trashing the American heritage, a heritage very much influenced by Jewish law, as was recognized by learned men of eighteenth-century America. Are you going to let the Netanyahu government trash the Jewish heritage by allowing the followers of Muhammad establish an Islamic state in Judea and Samaria? Where is the outrage? Where is a Tom Paine, a Patrick Henry? Do we have only Benedict Arnolds!” (Jerusalem Foundation for Constitutional Democracy in English — Website of right-wing group led by Professor Paul Eidelberg, promoting a constitution based on Jewish principles, electoral and judicial reforms, and a free-market economy; URL: http://www.foundation1.org)
Concessions Encourage Arab ‘Violence,’ Won’t Lead to Peace
Ronny Gordon’s cartoon, posted in Arutz Sheva Online on 5 July, shows Obama riding a tissue-paper steamroller, out to crush little Israel.
Obadiah Shoher’s commentary, entitled “Peace Doesn’t Come Through Withdrawal,” posted on the website of Samson Blinded on 29 June, maintains: “Arabs will not decrease violence to allow Israel an honorary withdrawal from the West Bank. Just like the Jewish fighters haunted the British in Palestine in 1947, Arabs will continue killing Jews even if Isr ael evacuates Gaza and the West Bank. Diplomats cannot understand why Arabs keep on killing Jews even in the face of diplomatic surrender. Simple: Arabs correctly view their victory as the product of fighting rather than diplomacy. Add their hatred of Jewish occupiers, and Arabs will continue killing the Jews until the last Jew leaves their land–which is not limited to the West Bank. The peace process only prompts the Arabs to kill the retreating enemy.”
“Concessions — mini-victories — prop up their pride and they push to continue. Counter-intuitive as that may sound, concessions lead to no peace. Historically, too, peace negotiations between nations have commenced near the war’s end. Negotiations during the war embolden the aggressor and encourage him to persist in violence.” (Samson Blinded in English — Website operated by “Obadiah Shoher,” pen name for a USSR-born “veteran politician” calling for action against Arabs and the Israeli left and citing Rabbi Kahana as a model; URL: http://samsonblinded.org)
Obama, Netanyahu’s New US Ambassador Both Moral Relativists
“The Plague of Moral Relativism” is Prof. Paul Eidelberg’s commentary, disseminated on 30 June. Eidelberg writes: “Various Israeli journalists, including Caroline B. Glick of The Jerusalem Post, have become aware of the fact that President Barack Obama is a moral relativist. This became evident to me during last year’s presidential campaign, when I learned about Obama’s early mentors, the most notorious of which was the philosopher of the New Left.’
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not a moral relativist. I know this from a brief encounter with him at a conference in Jerusalem. Nevertheless, it may come as a surprise to Ms. Glick and others that Mr. Netanyahu appointed a relativist (ala Yair Evron) as Israel’s ambassador to the United States — the historian Michael Oren! Thus, in his highly-touted book Six Days of War, Oren writes: ‘My purpose is not to prove the justness of one party (Egypt) or another (Israel) in the war, or to assign culpability for starting it.’
“Perhaps Mr. Oren will also write a morally neutral history about the war between the PLO and Israel. That should not be too difficult. After all, Mr. Oren endorsed a Palestinian state some time before Netanyahu appointed him as Israel’s ambassador to the United States. Mr. Oren and President Obama have a lot in common!”
Appeasement Led to Israel’s Humiliation by US, France Moshe Feiglin’s commentary, entitled “Dwell Alone”, posted on the Jewish Leadership website on 2 July, states: “Currently, Israel’s very essence is its unrequited ambition to be reckoned among the nations. Official Israel does all in its power to be ‘normal’ — in other words, to be like the nations of the world. Israel yearns to be accepted, to ‘belong,’ to enjoy the patronage of the nations. It will settle for almost anything. As long as it will not have to dwell alone.
“But when Israel scrounges for some ‘acceptance’ crumbs from the nations, its American ‘ally’ humiliates it and shows it the soles of his shoes. Even its good friend from France joins the Israel-bashing trend and takes the liberty of rearranging Israel’s ministerial positions – and of course leaks the content of the scolding to the press.
“Israel tries to appease the nations. It surrenders to their demands. It has given them a foothold and even sovereignty in the very heart of the Land. It does not strive to be a ‘nation that dwells alone’ but rather to establish ‘two states for two nations’ in the land in which it is destined to dwell alone. Israel is b eing trampled. Obama and Sarkozy are just the beginning.
“With G-d’s help, Israel will soon have true Jewish leadership; leadership that does not seek the patronage and approval of the nations. Soon we will have leadership that will focus on the challenges at home and strive to fulfill the historical destiny of the Nation of Israel.” (Ginot Shomron Jewish Leadership in Hebrew — Website of Jewish Leadership movement, led by Likud MK Moshe Feiglin; URL: http://he.manhigut.org) Understating Israel’s Security Sacrifice Causes World To Demand Further Action Aaron Lerner’s commentary, entitled “Let’s Tell the Truth: Risking Israeli Civilian Lives To Increase Palestinian Mobility,” posted on the IMRA website on 2 July, states: “The Netanyahu administration has decided to very significantly risk Israeli civilian lives via a series of steps it has taken to increase Palestinian mobility.
“Now I am not here to judge the wisdom of the move. I am not about to claim that I have access to all the facts and considerations that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu weighed in order to reach the conclusion that significantly increasing the possibility that Israelis will die in terrorist attacks was a reasonable price to pay. But here’s the problem: It is one thing to make such a decision. It is far another to concede to the nation that the choice was knowingly made.
“And so, instead of telling the world – and President Barak Obama specifically – that Israeli civilian lives have been put on the line in order to increase Palestinian mobility, we end up with announcements that try to imply that there is no significant risk associated with the wholesale removal of critical roadblocks.
“The result of understating the magnitude of the Israeli sacrifice is that the world – and President Obama specifically – react to these measures with ‘nice start – do more’.
“I will be cynical and say that I don’t expect a politician to take the exposure of admitting for the record that he is knowingly risking the lives of his constituents. He might get someone in the IDF to leak to the press just how concerned everyone who has reviewed the measures is. But that’s not going to get much bang overseas.
“So let’s be completely cynical: Let’s at least think through what Israel should do in response to a terrorist attack. Something more than just restoring some roadblocks. Netanyahu’s team should be seriously preparing the ‘response file’. And I’m not talking about plans for camera angles, human interest story models and headline grabbing visual aids that could be employed to cover a terrorist attack. If Israeli lives are being risked then there damn well better be a pay off if they die.
“Authorize one of the ‘unauthorized’ outposts and dedicate it in the name of the victims? That’s one idea. Hopefully there’s time to come up with more.” (Kfar Saba Independent Media Review & Analysis — Website of Dr Aaron Lerner, right-leaning analyst of Arab-Israeli relations; URL: http://www.imra.org.il) Nations ‘Trying Every Means; To Stop Jews From Settling ‘Holy Land’ “Balak: The Witching Hour,” a commentary by Levi Chazen, director of the English Division of the Yeshiva of the Jewish I dea in Jerusalem, was distributed by the yeshiva on 2 July. Chazen writes: “Now, after forty years of wandering and waiting in the desert to enter the Promised Land, the time had almost come. Before them led the path to the redemption, to enter the land, conquer and destroy the seven nations living there, anoint a king who would kill off the Amalekite people and build the holy Temple.”
“Today, too, as the Jewish people return to their home after 2,000 years and the redemption light gathers momentum, the nations cannot and will not come to grips with it, for it exposes their falsehood and shows the uniqueness of the Jewish people. And, as in times of old, today too the nations are trying every means at their disposal to stop the Jewish people from controlling and settling the Holy Land. Some come at us through war — but they are unable; the more sinister among them come with their mouths as if to bless us, but really babble a final solution to the Jewish problem. Too bad for them that they have not learned the lesson of history. The G-d of Israel does not and will not abandon His people, and like the nations before them who all fell, so too all who try to stop the redemption from coming into b eing will fall by the wayside, destined never to rise again.” (Jerusalem Yeshiva of the Jewish Idea in English — Website of followers of yeshiva founded by late Rabbi Me’ir Kahana to promote his extremist views; URL:
http://kahane.blogspot.com/ http://kahane.blogspot.com )
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